Upon the debut of ABC’s “Revenge’s” last season it immediately was met with praise from critics who couldn’t get enough of its soapy storytelling. However the one lingering doubt was if the show could sustain itself over more than one season. As we near tonight’s premiere it looks like that question may have been answered!
On the surface ABC’s ‘Revenge’ may not seem to be as much of a high-concept of a series as its timeslot partners “Once Upon A Time” and “666 Park Avenue,” but the truth is that it shares many similarities. For a high-concept series to work you have to make your viewers be willing to suspend reality and honestly what says “suspending reality” more than a show centered on rich people problems.
“Revenge” follows Emily Thorne (played by the talented Emily VanCamp) as she extracts revenge on the Grayson family who she believes responsible for murdering her father and destroying both his reputation and her childhood. Although as is always the case, even the best laid plan don’t always come to fruition.
As we pick up with tonight’s first episode, Emily is the one in for a shock as she struggles with the revelation her presume dead mother is actually very much alive. Played by Jennifer Jason Leigh (“Weeds”) the character will slowly be brought into the mix creating even more chaos for Emily and everyone in her world.
The season will also tie up the (not as well received) cliffhanger that saw a number of pivotal characters face uncertain futures, especially Madeline Stowe who plays the matriarch of the Grayson clan. While putting Stowe’s character in peril makes sense given her storyline, audiences didn’t for a second believe producers were going to write Stowe out of the series as she’s the perfect foil for VanCamp and a scene-stealer in her own right.
In actuality the battles between VanCamp and Stowe make for some of the show’s best moments and the escalation of the feud will be a focal point of season two. Producers also recently revealed to TV Guide that this season would again start with a flash forward to a game-changing event that should keep viewers guessing during “Revenge’s’ first batch of episodes, similar to last year’s deadly engagement party murder mystery.
However the producers decide to play out the season “Revenge” is sure to be a thorn in the side of its Sunday night competition. In addition to the Emmy-winning lineups assembled by their cable rivals, the series is positioned to go toe-to-toe with CBS’ equally successful “The Good Wife.” Both shows have similar audiences and will be fighting for viewer’s attention.
Although with CBS occasionally time-shifting its Sunday night lineup due to football on certain weeks, “Revenge” is going to have a big advantage over the first half of the season and one that ABC hopes will boost its Sunday night lineup to the same level it once saw during the heyday of previous timeslot inhabitant “Desperate Housewives.”
“Revenge” returns tonight at 9 p.m. on ABC.
Remember, don’t forget to subscribe to this column for all of the latest news coming out of the new TV season and in the meantime you can go to ABC.com for more information about the series.
What’s your take New York? Are you ready for “Revenge? Hit the comments and let us know.
For previews of the 2012 Fall TV season you can click on the below:
New Series:
“Go On”
“Animal Practice”
“The New Normal”
“The Mob Doctor”
“Revolution”
“Partners”
“Ben and Kate”
“The Mindy Project”
“Vegas”
“The Neighbors”
“Last Resort”
“Elementary”
“Made In Jersey”
“666 Park Avenue”
Returning Series:
“Grimm”
“Boss”
“Sons Of Anarchy”
“The X Factor”
“Glee”
“Shark Tank”
“Boardwalk Empire”
“The Office”
“Treme”
“Dancing With The Stars”
“Scandal”
“The Good Wife”
“The Mentalist”
“Once Upon A Time”
2012 Fall Preview Week Coverage:
–Most Promising Comedies
–Most Promising Dramas
–Least Promising Series
–Celebrities To Watch
-Ratings Winners & Losers
